JOE COLE has hailed John Terry as the best defender in the world and described him as the “heartbeat” of the England team.

Terry landed himself in hot water with manager Fabio Capello for calling on the players to challenge him on issues such as bringing Cole into the team. Cole was finally used as a late substitute in the victory over Slovenia, in which Terry bounced back from his problems with a superb performance.

“You can’t knock JT,” said Cole. “He is the best centre-half in the world and some of the blocks and the tackles against Slovenia were brilliant. He is the heartbeat of the side and an exceptional player. We’ve got so many good leaders in the team and it was a great performance from him.”

And despite being limited to a bit-part role so far, Cole has vowed to give everything to England’s cause, whether he is playing 90 minutes or nine. “The main thing is the squad game,” said Cole. “If I get one minute, I’ll fight for that one minute.”